Donald A. Carson is well-known for his many academic and popular writings, including noted commentaries on Matthew and John, a standard introduction to the New Testament, and the popular devotional work, For the Love of God.1 Carson served with distinction for decades at Trinity Evangelical Divinity, where he is now emeritus professor of New Testament. And he co-founded The Gospel Coalition with Pastor Timothy Keller. He has been called “one of the last great Renaissance men in evangelical biblical scholarship.”2 Two collections of essays (Festschriften) have been published to commemorate Carson’s noteworthy contributions to New Testament scholarship and to the strengthening of the global church,3 and the recent volume The Gospel and the Modern World features thirty-four short writings by Carson that originally appeared in Themelios.4 Additionally, Carson’s election as the seventy-third president of the Evangelical Theological Society reflects his influence as an evangelical scholar and leader.5 Carson also served for ten years as general editor of Themelios (2008–2018). He wrote this in his initial editorial column: “The new Themelios aims to serve both theological/religious studies students and pastors” while seeking to “become increasingly international in representation.” 6 Indeed, for over sixty years Themelios has sought to be an international theological journal committed to expounding and defending the foundational commitments of the historic Christian faith.7 The name Themelios derives from the Greek θεμέλιος (“foundation”) used in 1 Corinthians 3:11 (“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”) and Ephesians 2:20 (“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone”). The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students launched Themelios in October 1962, and editor Andrew F. Walls introduced Themelios as an international and interdenominational journal “addressed to theological students, and all who are preparing for the Christian ministry, throughout the world.”8 In 1975, the Religious & Theological Students Fellowship, part of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship in the UK, took over Themelios and merged it with Theological Students Fellowship Bulletin. In 2008, The Gospel Coalition relaunched Themelios and made it freely accessible online under Carson’s leadership, which dramatically expanded its global influence. The journal’s website now has around two million page views annually with readers from well over 200 countries.

Henceforth, Themelios will serve as the flagship theological journal of the new Carson Center for Theological Renewal, named for TGC’s founding president and longtime Themelios editor Donald A. Carson.9 The Carson Center broadly exists for two reasons: (1) to explain the richness of the Bible in an accessible yet responsible manner and (2) to equip church leaders with the tools to generate their own content for preaching and teaching. We will explain both goals in turn.

First, the Bible lies at the heart of TGC. This is no mere platitude; the Bible shapes, directs, and invigorates the whole of TGC. And The Carson Center in particular functions as the platform for delivering the content of the Bible to the church. Two elements oddly characterize our day: the accessibility of the Bible yet our illiteracy of it. How can both be true? The steady stream of evangelical books, articles, essays, blogs, and videos is staggering. There is also no shortage of publishers producing solid Bible translations and compelling study Bibles. In short, the church has never had such resources at its fingertips. It’s all just a click away. But the availability of resources has not translated into their consumption. The church’s literacy of the Bible is in freefall. As seminary professors, we can attest that each new crop of students knows the Bible a bit less than the previous class. Pastors are preaching fewer expositional sermons, parents are failing to study the Bible with their children, and believers are spending less time in the Scriptures. The overwhelming majority of pastors outside of the western church have scant theological education. Yet, these same leaders are all connected to the internet, and TCC is uniquely positioned to bridge this chasm of ignorance. We could go on and on, but the point is clear: on the whole, the modern church knows less about the Bible than previous generations.

So, The Carson Center attempts to remedy such biblical illiteracy by providing rich, evangelical content about the Bible to the worldwide church. At present, TCC has about four hundred and fifty courses, two hundred and sixty-six essays, over six thousand sermons, a commentary on the Bible, and one hundred and forty-three issues of Themelios. We are excited to see what God has in store for TCC, as many exciting projects are already under various stages of development.

Second, we are burdened for international pastors, teachers, and church leaders. Preaching and teaching the Bible requires a solid grasp of the Bible’s storyline and how the gospel forms the centerpiece of that storyline. Robust preaching and teaching are also predicated on one’s ability to interpret and communicate the Bible’s storyline. In a word, pastors and teachers need to learn the content of the Bible, and they must become adept at interpreting it. Content and interpretation are the best of friends. TCC, therefore, endeavors to furnish church leaders with the tools to exegete Scripture. For example, the TGC course, “Mining God’s Word,” is a terrific way to learn the nuts and bolts of exegesis, and the class on “Arcing Scripture” explains how one can trace the logical flow of texts.10 These two courses fill a gap, a rather large gap, in online resources. But substantial work remains, and TCC must generate resources that equip global church leaders with the tools to interpret Scripture.

The future is bright for TGC and TCC, as millions from all over the world continue to engage our resources. As we turn to the next chapter, pray that God would raise up a new generation of scholars to produce solid evangelical content and Christians to engage it.